Cigar and filler transfer device



Feb. 2,1943. c. F. RBER Erm.

I CIGAR ANU FILLER TRANSFER DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1959 Feb; 2, 1943. c. F; R'BER Em. 2,310,120

CIGAR AND vFILLER TRANSFER DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed July 19. 1939 WEA PPE l YVIII'IIIIIIII Carr-A2 Feb. 2, 1943. c. F. RBER ETAL CIGAR AND FILLER TRANSFER DEVICE Filed July 19, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 2, 1943 UNTED S TENT OFFICE.

Constantin Friedrich Rber and Alfredttger, Dresden, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application July 19, 1939, Serial No. 285,264 In Germany July 29,1938

Claims.

The present invention .relates to a device for transferring cigars or their fillers from one stage or station to another in a cigar making machine.

Heretofore it has been found that thepneumatic or suction pick-up devices used for this purpose frequently loosen and destroy Athe wrapper and thus by their use cause a relatively large number of discards or throw-outs during the manufacture of the cigar.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved transfer device which engages about and beneath the wrapped iiller with a relatively delicate or light gripping action and which by virtue of the gripping action slightly elevates the article from its support so that the gripped article may be easily conveyed from stage to stage in the machine for carrying out the various steps in the method of production.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device of this character which may be used in series or multiple so that the transfer devices may be arranged in a circular or other suitable row for consecutively positioning and removing the fillers and cigars consecutively With respect to the correspondingly arranged stages of operation of the machine.

The invention further aims to provide a transfer device in the form of opposed gripping fingers which are pivotally mounted in spaced relation and adapted for operation simultaneously and uniformly and which are provided with concave jaws or seats for fitting around and beneath the filler and cigar to uniformly engage thereabout and prevent the loosening of the wrapper or of the separation of the filler material and bodily lift and carry the article from stage to stage.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a detail top plan view of a portion of a cigar making machine illustrating diagrammatically four operating stations for cigar llers and showing the transfer device of this invention for conveying the fillers from one station to another.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of a portion 'of a cigar making machine with the transfer device shown in section and one of the branch arms thereof supporting an article over one of the stations.

Figure 3 is a top plan view `of the device as shown in Figure 2, showing the branch arms of the transfer device arranged for operation in sequence, and also showing in top plan view a stationary gripping device for cooperation with the transfer mechanism at one of the stations of the machine.

Figure 4 is la detail enlarged sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 through the inner end portion of one branch arm of the transfer device, showing the gripper fingers in enclosed position and supporting an article.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3 with the gripper fingers in open position for releasing the article.A

Figure 6 is a -fragmentary side elevation of a gripper for transferring llers from one station to the ltransfer' device, and

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the same.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 2, numeral l designates the frame `of a cigar making machine provided at a suitable point with a pedestal 2 through which is mounted a vertical shaft Il having a spur gear 3 upon its lower end by means of which the shaft 4 may be turned. The shaft 4 projects above the pedestal 2 and has secured to it a radially extending transfer arm 5 which, in the present instance, is shown as provided with three radial branch arms 6, 1 and 8. Each branch arm is provided with a gripper kadapted to consecutively traverse each of a plurality of stations in the cigar making machine so that the grippers may alternately deposit and pick up the filler or the completed article at the different stations during the process or method of manufacture.

In-Fig. 1, four separate stations are shown, designated `as Filler supply source, Storage, Wrapper and Cutter arranged in the orbit of the transfer arm 5 and disposed approximately from one another. Branch arm 6 is adapted to convey the trimmed filler from the Cutter station to the Storage station; branch arm I conveys a filler from the Filler supply source to the Wrappen while branch arm B conveys the wrapped filler from the Wrapper to the Cutter.

Each gripper comprises a pair of spaced apart brackets 9 .and I0 which extend downwardly from the adjacent branch arm, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and these brackets respectively carry parallel shafts II and I2 having secured thereto intermeshing gears 4I3 and I4 to insure that the shafts II and I2 be turned simultaneously and equally during the opening and closing of the corresponding gripper. The Ashafts Il and I2 are provided with gripping fingers 22 which are disposed upon each shaft to extend downwardly therefrom in substantially convergent relation to one another when the gripper is closed, as shown in Figure 4. These fingers 22 are maintained toward a closed position upon the article by a spring 23 attached at opposite ends to pins 29 which project laterally from the gears I3 and I4 and which in the closed position are disposed below the axial centers of the shafts and the gears.l The fingers 22 are adapted to be swung outwardly from each other when the shafts I I and I2 are turned and during this operation,v the pins 29 expand the spring 28 and are moved therewith into a position above the'axial centers of the shafts and gears, as shown in Figure 5, to yieldingly hold the grippers in open position.

The gripping ngers 22 are provided at their 1 lower ends and at their inner edges with concave seats 24 conforming to the general configuration of the articles to be gripped and the extremities 25 of the fingers extend beyond the seats 24 suiiiciently to engage about the underside of the article so as to cam the article upwardly into engagement with the concave portions 24 of the fingers so that the articles may be gripped and carried from station to station of the cigar making machine. Suitable means is provided for operating the gripper, and in the present instance the means comprises a double pointed rocker arm I6 fixed to an extension of one of the shafts I I or I2.

In Figure 3 each shaft I I is shown as provided with the rocker arm I6 comprising a triangular plate having projecting portions II and I8 which are adapted'to be engaged alternately by suitable stop members stationarily mounted on the machine as hereinafter described. One of the brackets. such as the bracket I shown in Figures 4 and 5, is provided with an article rest 26 having a concave face 2'I for receiving the article when the latter is raised and gripped as shown in Figure 4 so that the article is firmly held in position.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each elongated shaft, such as the shaftl I, may have additional support at its inner end in a bracket or bearing I5 on the underside of the corresponding branch arms 6, I and 8 so as to maintain the inner end of the shaft with the rocker arm I6 against vibration and to support it against shock incident to striking the fixed stop members. The upper end of the pedestal 2 is provided with a ring or head 2I which carries a plurality of radially extending stop members I9, 33 and 3| which are arranged to engage successively the lower projections I1 of the rocker arms i6 on the branch arms 8, 6 and 'I, respectively, to close the corresponding gripper as the transfer arm 5 rotates about the pedestal 2. The shafts II are of different lengths and arranged in stepped relation, and the stop members are correspondingly extended from the ring 2| so 'that they will engage the respective rocker arms of the series of grippers and thus operate them in desired sequence. The ring 2| is also provided with another series of radially extending stop members 32, 30 and 20 which are arranged slightly above the rst series I9, 33 and 3I and also graduated in length to consecutively engage the upper projections I8 of the rocker arms I6 and open the grippers of branch arms 6, I and 8 at predetermined intervals during each rotation of the transfer arm 5. As shown in Figures 2 and 3 there is mounted on the frame I at one side of the pedestal 2 al standard 34 provided with a stationary gripping device opening upwardly with fingers 35 corresponding to the fingers 22 and between which is disposed a rest 26' for supporting the article when delivered to this upwardly opening gripper. The shafts EI and I2' of the gripper are interconnected by gears 371 for insuring the simultaneous operation of the fingers 35. Shaft I2' is provided with a rocker arm 4 extending upwardly at its end adapted for engagement-by a trip 23 carried by the shaft II of branch arm 8 of the transfer arm 5 for closing the gripper, and shaft II prime of the gripper is provided with a longer rocker arm 36 for subsequent engagement by a lug 39 on the underside of branch arm 6 of the transfer arm 5 to open the gripper. A spring 28' secured at its opposite extremities to laterally projecting pins 29 carried by the gears 3l maintains the gripper yieldingly in its open and closed positions. The stationary gripping device just described is at the Cutter station of the machine to hold the cigar filler while the ends thereof are trimmed or sheared by the knives K shownidiagrammatically in Fig. 1.

With reference now to Figures 6 and 7, there is shown a portion of the cigar making machine for delivering the fillers from the ller molds 6i] to the gripper of branch arm I on the transfer arm 5. As shown, the standard 2 is provided at one side with a pivoted arm 45 having a gear rack 50 at its pivoted end which meshes with a segment 62 pivoted at 63 and having an arm 64 with a roller on its end adapted to bear against a cam 65 the dwell of which admits of the rocking of the arms 64 and the segment 63 to swing the pivoted `arm 49 through an arc of approximately in the direction of the arrow. The free end of pivoted arm 49 terminates in a carrier member 41 provided with horizontally extending pins 46 which project outwardly from opposite sides of said carrier member and each pivotally supporting the upper ends of a pair of gripper fingers 45. A spring 43 yieldably maintains each pair Vof gripper fingers in gripping position. A pusher 44 is arranged for vertical movement upon the end of a lever 4I which is pivoted at 66 and has a tail piece with a cam roller 43 therein adapted to engage the periphery of a cam 42 to control the rise and fall of the pusher 44 into and out of the bottoms of the molds The upper end of the pusher 44 lifts the filler W out of its mold and into engagement with the gripper fingers 45. When the gripping fingers 45 receive the filler W the arm 49 is swung upwardly on its pivot in the manner above described so that the ller is delivered to the gripper of branch arm 'I on the transfer arm 5.

The cams 42 and 55 and the carrier for the molds 5I) are driven by any suitable means, not shown, in timed relation to the rotation of the transfer arm 5, so that each time the transfer arm comes past the point X in Fig. 1, the lever 49 has been swung to its upward position to deliver a ller W from the mold to the closing gripper of branch arm '5, which gripper engages between the pivoted fingers 45 on the free end of the lever 49 and removes the ller therefrom for conveyance to the Wrapper station of the machine. As the transfer arm 5 approaches the Wrapper station, the projection I8 on the rocker arm IS of branch arm 8 comes into engagement with a stop member i9 on the ring 2| to close the gripper about the wrapped filler in the Wrapper station and convey the saine to the "Cutter station. As the transfer arm 5 passes through the Wrapper station and the following the closing of the gripper of branch arm 8, the gripper of branch arm 'l is opened'by engagement of the projection I1 of its rocker arm I6 with the stop member 30 on the ring 2l adjacent stop member I9 but arranged above the latter. Thus the filler W conveyed by this branch arm from the Filler supply source is deposited on the Wrapper station for removal by the branch arm 8 on the subsequent rotation of the transfer arm 5 as above described; v

When the transfer arm 5 reaches the "Cutter station, the gripper of branch arm 8 is opened by engagement of the projection l'I of its rocker arm i5 with the stop member 29 on the ring 2l. Simultaneously with the opening of this gripper, the trip 23 carried by branch arm 8 comes into engagement with the rocker arm 4i! of the stationary grippin-g device to close the latter about the filler released by the gripper of branch arm 8. When the branch arm 6 reaches the Cutter station, the lug 3Q carried thereby engages rocker arm 36 of the stationary gripping device to open the latter while the gripper of branch arm 6 is closed by engagement of the projection I8 on its rocker arm I6 with the stop member 33 on the ring 2l to grasp the trimmed filler from the "Cutter station. This gripper remains closed until the transfer arm arrives at the Storage station when the projection l1 of its rocker arm It engages the stop member 32 on the ring 2l to operi the gripper and drop the filler onto a conveyor belt at the point marked Y in Fig. 1, travelling in the direction indicated by the arrow to deliver the filler to any suitable collecting or storage point.

Thus, with each complete rotation of the transfer arm 5, a wrapped filler is transferred successively from the Wrapper to the Cutter and finally to the Storage station by the branch arms 8 and 6, respectively, while a new filler is transferred from the Filler supply source to the Wrapper by branch arm 1.

What is claimed is:

l. In a cigar making machine, a carrier for transferring fillers from one stage of operation of said machine to another, comprising a rotary arm having a plurality of radial branches, a gripper mounted in each branch arm, each gripper comprising a pair of shafts having gripping fingers thereon and intergeared for relative movement to swing the fingers into and out of gripping position, one of said shafts of each gripper extending inwardly of the arm, said inwardly extending shafts of the several grippers being consecutively elongated, a rocker arm mounted upon the inner end of each elongated shaft, and a plurality of stationary stops carried by the machine for engaging the rocker arms of the grippers to alternately swing said gripping fingers into and out of gripping position as the arm rotates past the various stages of operation of the cigar making machine.

2. In a cigar making machine, means for transferring fillers from one stage of operation of said machine to another, comprising a pedestal, a vertical shaft in the pedestal having a radial arm adapted to be turned about the pedestal with the shaft and provided with a plurality of radial branches, grippers mounted on said branches of the arm and having gripping fingers adapted to engage the fillers, each gripper having a shaft extending inwardly of the arm and the shafts of the grippers being of consecutively increasing lengths, rocker arms carried upon the inner endsof said shafts and arranged in consecutiveljl offset relation, a support mounted on the pedestal, and a plurality of stop members carried by the support and being proportioned in length to engage the respective rocker arms of the gripping devices to open and close the same for picking up and depositing the llers at the different stages of the machine.

3. In a cigar making machine having a plurality of separate stations for operation on cigar llers including a supply, wrapper and cutter stations, means for transferring cigar fillers step by step from one station to another, comprising a movable element travelling across said stations consecutively step by step in a plane above said stations, a plurality of grippers on said element, grouped adjacent each other, each including a pair of opposed fingers intergeared for relative movement to closed and open positions to respectively engage and release a cigar ller, a rocker arm for moving each pair of intergeared ngers to closed and open positions, and a plurality of stationary members arranged in pairs, each pair cooperating with a separate rocker arm to selectively close and open the fingers of said grippers as said movable element travels across said plurality of stations, the gripping fingers of one gripper being adapted to Aclose and to pick up one filler at the supply station and open at the wrapper station to deliver the ller thereto, and the gripping fingers of another gripper to close at the wrapper station just prior to the opening of the first gripper which previously deposited the ller at the Wrapper station and to open at the cutter station to deliver the filler thereto.

4. In a cigar making machine having a plurality of separate stations for operation on cigar fillers, means for transferring cigar fillers from one station to another, comprising an arm rotatable about a vertical axis in a horizontal plane above said stations and travelling in a circular path across said stations consecutively, three radial branches on the free end of said arm, a gripper on the underside of each of said radial branches, each grip-per including a pair of shafts having downwardly projecting gripping fingers thereon, said shafts being intergeared for relative movement to swing the fingersA into and out of gripping position, a rocker member on one of the intergeared shafts of each gripper, and a plurality of stationary abutments arranged in pairs, each pair cooperating with a separate rocker arm to move the latter alternately in opposite directions to correspondingly swing the fingers into and out of gripping position, the gripping fingers of the intermediate gripper adapted to close at one of said stations to pick up a filler and open at another station to deliver the filler thereto, the gripping fingers of the first gripper to enter each station adapted to close just prior to the opening of the intermediate gripper to pick up the filler previously deposited by said intermediate gripper and adapted to open at still another station to deliver the filler thereto, and the gripping fingers of the last gripper to enter each station adapted to close immediately following the opening of the first gripper, to pick up the filler deposited by the latter gripper, and adapted to open at a still further station to deliver the filler thereto.

5. In a cigar making machine having a plurality of separate stations for operation on cigar fillers including a supply, a wrapper, a cutter and a delivery station arranged successively in a plane, means for transferring cigar fillers from one of these stations to another, comprising a movable element travelling across said stations, means for moving said element step by step, a plurality of grippers grouped adjacent each other and mounted on said movable element, in a plane above the plane of said stations, each gripper having gripping fingers, means for opening and closing said gripping iingers, and stationary means at each of the stations in the path of the means for opening and closing the gripping fingers, for operating said opening and closing means, the stationary means being so disposed in respect to the means for opening and closing the gripping fingers, that the gripping ngers of the firstjgripper in the direction of movement of the movable element close over the ller at the cutting station and open at the delivery station, the gripping fingers of the second gripper close over the filler at the supply station and open at the wrapping station, and the gripping ngers of the third gripper close over the filler at the Wrapping station and open at the cutting station, as these grippers pass over said stations, each station being freed of a filler before the next step gripper arrives at that station.

coNsTAN'IjIN FRIEDRICH RBER. ALFRED BTTGER. 

